Vietnamese added to dual immersion programs in US schools as second generation comes of age

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. – A Southern California school district is the latest to consider starting a dual immersion program in Vietnamese to encourage the American children of refugees to keep the language alive.

Garden Grove Unified trustees voted last month to consider creating a program in one of the country's largest Vietnamese enclaves.

The move comes as the children of refugees who fled the aftermath of the Vietnam War are coming of age and striving to preserve the language for their American children. Programs have already begun in Texas and Washington and another is planned for Oregon in the fall.

Dual immersion programs teach students in two languages, and classes are usually split between English speakers and English learners who model the languages for each other.